New Responder Vans

It has been a busy, but progressive, time for the Selsey Community First Responders Scheme (SCFRS). You may well have seen two new ‘Responder’ vans moving around the town. Well, we have our Town Council to thank for this as their purchase was made possible by a £20,000 grant from the Community Fund. The vans have been fitted out and are now fully operational. The picture of the new vans shows, on the left, Becky White, the Town Clerk and next to her Danny Kelly the Chairman of the SCFRS, together with Responders and representatives of the SCFRS Committee.

The SCFRS is wholly voluntary and no funding is received from the NHS. It is totally dependent on donations from the community and this has, thankfully, been forthcoming. However, support in the future is essential to ensure the continued operation of the scheme. The importance of the scheme is forcefully illustrated by the experience of one resident of the town (in his own words):

“ Early July 2013 and the summer had finally arrive in Selsey. It had been a sweltering week and every day I’d had a bad headache which I put down to the weather. I was working (still do) as manager of Charity Shops for the Brent Lodge Wildlife Trust, the shops are located in New Parade, Selsey.

It was Saturday evening and I shut the shop at 4pm and as always started to reconcile the day’s takings. I tried several times to add up the figures, but just couldn’t do it. I assumed it was tiredness, the heat and the headache so I locked the money away safely intending to go back in Sunday morning to do it properly.

I had been invited to a barbecue that evening but when I got home I was unable to tell what the time was either by looking at the clock, my watch or mobile phone. I still didn’t realise that something was seriously wrong and I managed to phone my friend Sue who was holding the barbecue to ask the time.

She realised pretty quickly that something was not right and sent her husband Os around to see how I was. The next part I have no memory of but Os arrived and immediately called the first responders. They arrived within 3 minutes and treated me before the ambulance arrived. I am told that the Responder advised the ambulance crew against giving me oxygen which apparently (I’m no doctor) could in the circumstances have led to long term brain damage.

The next thing I remember was waking up next morning in hospital to see my daughter and ex wife by my bedside. The first thing I said was “What are you doing here?” It transpired that I’d had a brain haemorrhage and the doctor had told my daughter to get there quickly if she wanted to see me again.

I have since made a 99% recovery – I’m not sure what the 1% might be! If it hadn’t been for the swift intervention of the Responders I would probably be dead or seriously mentally impaired so I am eternally grateful to them.

Every time I see my wonderful one year old granddaughter I am reminded that without the Responders I may never have met her.